initiative
34
4.2
- noun
- /ɪˈnɪʃətɪv/
:
iniciativa
- We have a vision—first library initiative in decades! We have an initial action plan in place.
- take the initiative
Examples
-
Give us these troops so we can seize the initiative!
-
We must take initiatives.
-
Again, for someone to take that initiative shows that you are on their mind, shows that they again, consider your feelings.
-
I took the initiative, sir.
-
We just lost the initiative.
-
There are no public policy initiatives advanced by the government to address their problems.
Academic text (1995) -
Other activities took form from the initiative of an emergent international student movement.
Academic text (1990) -
But over the next decade, the initiative will make enormous strides.
Academic text (1995) -
Finally, the U.S. initiative reflected Washington's understanding that with China's rising clout comes increased responsibilities.
Academic text (2011) -
Taking the initiative, she organized a community clean-up to improve the neighborhood.
Synonyms
350
1.0
The first part that marks the start of something, for example a ceremony
281
1.4
The first action you take to begin something
18
3.6
To start something, often for the first time
15
4.7
The act of beginning something such as a project
2
3.9
The first action someone takes at the start of a game or negotiation
To take action before a problem happens
Antonyms
Compounds
- Formal
A program that teaches people new skills and helps them change their behaviour
A secret Italian left-wing group known for bombings in Rome between 2000 and 2002
How Significant
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Initiative comes from the Latin word initium meaning 'beginning', built from in- 'in/into' and ire 'to go'. It is like initial and initiate, so an initiative is the first step that sets something in motion.